MORE TIME IN SA

 Ryan and Najla had lots of company over the week. Their friends from college were in town since it was Spring Break, and they were all visiting with their kids. On Friday we went to Emma and Trevor's soccer games and then met The Meyers and their friends at Osprey Tacos for dinner. It was a lot of fun and great to see Trevor and Emma playing soccer.

We were having zero luck getting a replacement passenger mirror for the motorhome thru the local RVONE dealer or the closest Coachmen dealer. I was able to locate a salvage yard with a 2015 Coachmen Mirada that had damage to the inside and the rear end. We called and ordered it and they shipped it to us within a few days. David installed it with the addition of some electrical tape until we could get home for a permanent fix. Thank goodness.

On Saturday, The Meyers went to the beach with their friends, and we went to the new Vera Bradley store at the outlet mall and the Talbots store there. I found some great bargains there and at Bealls store. They were having a great sale too. For a late lunch we tried a new Cuban Eatery in Crescent Beach. We didn't realize that they had just opened a couple of days before. They were packed with customers and the wait was long, both to take our order and deliver the food. We both wanted a Cuban sandwich, but they were out of pork. How could a Cuban restaurant be out of pork????? We went to the window that said, "Order here". They said to order at the other side of the restaurant where is said "Pick up here."

So, we ordered 2 different sandwiches and I also ordered 2 beef empanadas, but they were out of beef, so I ordered chicken. Their rice bowls looked very good too, but they were out of those too. The food was very good, but they were not organized or prepared for the number of customers they would have. Maybe next visit, they will have it figured out.

On Sunday Ryan invited us to go with them to Captain's Bar B Que for lunch and Washington Oaks Gardens State Park in Palm Coast. The BBQ was excellent, and the gardens were beautiful It was a nice walk through the gardens and along the Matanzas River.

 

                                                   Trevor spotted a caterpillar on this branch

                                                                   Frog heads in the pond.

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It was a beautiful property, and we had a great time. More later.

2022 VISIT TO ST. AUGUSTINE

 We were supposed to visit Ryan, Najla and the kids over Christmas, but David had to have surgery for an inguinal hernia 2 days before Christmas, so we had to reschedule. March was the earliest we could get reservations.

We left on March 19th, for the KOA in Tifton GA. Except for the traffic in Atlanta it was pretty uneventful. We always like to stay in this CG on the way to FL, but this time was different. We like to order a pizza from the office, pick up some fresh eggs and after setting up, sit back and relax. This time, they had no pizza, no fresh eggs and no cable TV. UGH. We'll have to find a new CG for the future. 

The kitties had a very enjoyable ride to St Augustine. This time we decided to stay in a different CG. There is one right around the corner from Ryan and Najla's house, Ocean Grove RV Resort. We have never stayed there because there were so many bad reviews. The last year or so they had really good ones, and videos, so we decided to take a chance and try it out. The Meyers can walk right over from their house, and they have a membership to swim in their pool and use the restaurant on site, so it was worth checking it out.

We were in site D118 which a back in and it was the only one big enough for our MH. It was big enough ONCE YOU GET IN. The problem is, getting in. The streets are very narrow and there was a telephone pole right in front and a pine tree next to the driveway. Backing in, we hit the passenger side mirror on the telephone pole and broke it. Well, you can't drive a MH without a passenger side mirror. Once parked, David was hooking up electric, water and sewer, or trying to when he noticed a glove and water in the sewer pipe, meaning it wasn't draining. This is one of the major complaints about this CG, that the sewers back up all the time. We called the office and they said they would send maintenance and the plumber would be here in the AM. Turned out the house 2 doors away had their toilet backed up for a couple of days and others in the CG said they had the problem for a couple of weeks. After the plumber left the next morning, this is what we found at our sewer pipe.

There was poop and toilet paper all around the sewer. NOT FIXED.

I again called the office to tell them the situation and they sent the maintenance man, who swept it into a pile and LEFT IT THERE. 

This is the man's mode of transportation and our dangling mirror.

At any rate it took numerous trips from 4 different plumber to clear the sewer and clean up the poop. This is obviously an old CG with lots of issues. It has new owners, so hopefully they will resolve some of the problems.

Ryan and family invited us over for dinner Sunday night and Monday they came over to our place for Nam Sod and Pork Fried Rice. Bentley sat outside with us all night and he really enjoyed it.

The next day all 3 kitties came out with us.

 Nickie really has a lot of hair and lots of mats on his legs, belly and hips, which he wouldn't allow us to comb or brush. Ryan & Najla's Vet Hospital at Shores has a great groomer, so Ryan scheduled an appt. with her to get Nickie, the spa treatment, A mani, pedi, and a lion cut. She did a fantastic job,

Arriving at the Shores, they had a welcome sign with Nickie name on it. LOVE IT.

The front desk with puppies on one side and kitties on the other.

Nickie, waiting for his grooming appt.

Nickie, after his grooming. He looks so small, but mat free and happy.

While we waited for Nickie to get finished we went for breakfast/lunch at Metro Diner. Always too much food.

Later that day Bentley and I went for a walk around the CG and down the boardwalk near the marsh and the boat launch. 

This is the same part of the marsh in Ryan's backyard.    Most posting later.

LAST 2 STOPS ON THE WAY HOME

 We left Hamilton, MO headed for Columbia, MO on Wednesday, October 6th for a one night stop. It was only about a 3 hr. drive so it made for an early day. We stayed at Cottonwoods Campground where we have stayed before about 4 years ago. It's a nice CG and we had a long pull thru with easy access to get back on the road. Since we arrived early and didn't feel like cooking we looked around for an close, easy place to get something to eat. We decided to try a Bar B Que place nearby called Como Smoke and Fire. They did not disappoint. We both ordered their brisket and it was perfect and plenty of it. It was very tender and had no fat, perfectly cooked. It's not easy to find brisket this good and they had a good selection of sides. After that we were done for the night. Excellent brisket.

The next day would be a longer drive, so we got an early start. We were headed for a new CG (to us) in Grand Rivers, KY called Tween the Lakes Campground. It sits between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake south of Paducah, KY. It is a popular destination for fishermen and water recreation.

We drove through St Louis headed east and the traffic was congested.

Nicky and Bentley decided to share the bed on the dashboard even though they were too big for the 2 of them to fit. Bentley is perfectly content to sleep there alone, but Nickie has to be with his bro.

                                                I guess at some point it became just too much.

The Tween the Lakes Campground was not great, but it had FHU which is what me needed. We could get some TV, but the internet wasn't accessible. There was no office. We registered online. They assigned us a site with our name on it. They texted me the CG info and a map and directions to our site and that was it. It was actually less time consuming than having to stop and go inside to register especially since I had already paid. It had a concrete pad, a picnic table and a fire ring and it was only $30 for the night. Good Deal !

One reason to stop at the Tween the Lakes campground was to go to dinner at Patti's 1880 Settlement.

We ate there once before and the meal was excellent. We thought it would be a fitting last meal for the end of our vacation. Patti's was only about 3 miles from our CG.

                                                Patti's 1880's Settlement - Patti's (pattis1880s.com) 

Patti's did NOT disappoint. You really need reservations to avoid waiting as they are always busy, even for a Thursday night. The female wait staff is dressed in long dresses of the 1880 period and the men in overalls. It looks pretty hokey, but that's the way they do it. They had expanded since we were there and they even had their xmas decorations up. 

I ordered the bacon wrapped filet with a fully loaded baked potato and a salad. It was the best filet I have ever had and I've ordered a lot of filets.. The meat was perfectly cooked and was so tender. It melted in your mouth. Even the potato was superior to others. David ordered the salmon and he said it was fantastic. We ordered a piece of Kentucky chocolate pecan pie to go, topped with whipped cream which as also very good. They are known for their mile high 6-8" meringue cream pies, but we decided to share this one later at the MH. We were so stuffed and miserable the rest of the night. That was one perfect meal.

The next day we headed home (or to the storage lot). The traffic on I-24 going thru Nashville was bad, and going down Monteagle is always scary. When you are coming downhill on a steep grade in a HM, towing a car with all the big trucks around you and the runaway truck ramps all around it is one scary ride. As bad a s the traffic was around Nashville it was HORRIBLE as we neared Chattanooga near Bennet Lake and the Tennessee River. We didn't know what the hold up was, but it went all the way thru on I-24. We decided since our storage facility was off of 153 we would avoid going I-24 thru Chattanooga and go up 27 as soon as we could to save time. We got home over an hour later than expected.

But it sure was good to see the lush green mountains around Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.

 It was good to be home. The kitties were all back to their favorite spots in the house and loved being able to sit outside on the screened in porch whenever they wanted.

HAMILTON MISSOURI--QUILTOWN USA

 This was our second visit to Hamilton, the Home of Missouri Star Quilt Company. The story of this poor little town out in the middle of no where is very interesting and should be an inspiration to anyone.  .about (missouriquiltco.com)

Every quilter knows the name Missouri Star Quilt Company, and their video tutorials but not everyone has had the chance to visit. But if you do, here's some information. Home - Visit MSQC

The last time we were here we stayed at a campground that was about 20 miles west of here. The campground was horrible even though it had some good reviews. The grass had not been cut & there was no internet.  For this visit however, some smart person opened up a very small campground .75 miles from the middle of downtown. It was extremely nice, clean and the owner could not have been nicer. I think 95% of the people there were quilters. Less than 5 minutes from all the shops.,

We were there for 3 nights, so the first day we did a walk through Hamilton and the shops. There is nothing I needed, but you do have to look at all the different stores and fabrics anyway. Each store has a different theme, so it is harder to coordinate fabrics if you are trying to add solids or blenders to a floral. Not a problem since I didn't need anything. We just missed their big anniversary week (sale) by about 2 weeks, The last time we visited we just happened to come during the time and got a lot of freebies.

Of course Bentley had a great time getting there.

                                                                      

They had some new shops in town too. One was a knit shop and another was a Nancy's Notions store. I did get something at the knit shop. A beautiful green Ella Rae yarn for a sweater.

The first day we went to Eggos Cafe for an excellent breakfast and then on to the shop. If you go early in the AM or after 3PM the shops are not crowded.

A very nice CG and they even had some red squirrels for the kitties.

                                                              The main store for MSQC

                                                           Eggos Cafe and Miss Mailin's.

There are quilt murals all around downtown and a railroad mural on the side of one of the buildings.

We checked out the shops and I did get a few of their BLOCK books which were almost a cheap as regular patterns. They have 10 quilt patterns in every book and no advertising.

New, in Hamilton is a quilt museum which we visited the next day. We were so impressed and it was actually better than any of the others we visited. It was housed in the old High School and on the corner was the worlds largest spool of thread.

The school house was great with 3 floors and every old classroom had a different display of quilts. Some were very old (1830s), some new.

                            This was a newer one, but English Paper Pieced, all by hand.

This quilt was very interesting if you can read the info next to it. Made in the 1840's by African Americans in Mississippi and they used old coffee grounds to dye the fabric brown. It had the old batting with cotton seeds still in it.

                                           There were a few Millifiore quilts hanging.

                                               A modern Kim Mclean quilt with Kaffe fabrics.

                                                      An old quilt that was well used and deteriorating.

 And LOOKY HERE --- another of the same quilts I saw in 2 other museums. AND, the mystery is solved as to where the pattern came from. It was published in the Jan. 1912 issue of Ladies Home Journal. This quilt was pieced in 1915 and is in much better shape that the 2 others I saw. The colors are much more vibrant.

                                                                   Yes, Einstein in a quilt.

I loved how they used the old blackboards to write info about the quilt and displays.

                                            

The world's largest rotary cutter.

The museum also house a very large miniature quilt collection. These were amazing. Some had pieces 1/4" in size.

In th basement was the old gym which had a borrowed display from the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky.

In addition to the miniatures quilts, they had a huge room with hundreds of working toy sewing machines from all over the world and every manufacturer and a thimble collection.

Needless to say we had a wonderful time in Hamilton, MO. I can't wait to see what they will add for next time.

The next 2 stops will be just overnight as was get home on Friday, Oct 8th. First the Columbia, MO and Cottonwoods Rv Park.